The present invention relates to a method for programming an operating device for lighting means, in particular for programming an electronic ballast for gas discharge lamps. The present invention also relates to an interface for an operating device for lighting means, the interface being provided for receiving external control commands for operating the lighting means.
The implementation of relatively large illumination systems in which a plurality of lighting fittings are controlled with regard to their operational behaviour from a central control unit has been distinctly simplified by lamp operating devices of the most recent generation. Modern operating devices are in particular capable of receiving external control commands for operating the corresponding lighting means and then appropriately activating the lighting means, in particular also adjusting it in terms of its brightness. The control commands can in this respect be transmitted both via separate data or bus lines or, in connection with the PLC (powerline carrier) method, via the power supply lines. Also known are operating devices for lighting means which comprise an interface for the wireless reception of control commands.
The possibilities for controlling distributed light sources have recently been improved further in particular by the development of the so-called DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) standard, which represents a digital standard in lighting control and, when compared with the 1-10 volt interface often previously used, offers increased convenience for intelligent lighting control. The DALI standard is a new interface definition which has been developed in particular for electronic ballasts (EBs) for operating gas discharge lamps. Under this standard the operation of EBs can be carried out in digital form with all required functions, in particular with the possibility of activating the ballasts individually or in groups, which is rendered possible by the allocation of corresponding addresses. By transmitting control commands which are defined under the DALI standard, the lamp operating device can then be made to ignite the lamp and to activate it with a certain brightness.
The different commands which are transmitted by a central control unit to the individual operating devices under the DALI standard are processed in the operating devices according to a specific system or program. This program, the so-called firmware, is usually stored in a memory of the lamp operating device and is responsible for duly processing the received commands. The firmware in particular ensures that the control commands received via an interface of the lamp operating device are appropriately transmitted to a control unit of the lamp operating device in order to cause the control unit to activate the light source in the desired manner.
Generally speaking, it must be possible to update or replace the firmware in order to be able to adapt the functionality of the lamp operating device to new developments or special requirements. The overwriting or supplementation of the firmware can open up the possibility, for example, of activating new light sources or being able to process new commands transmitted from a central control unit.
Therefore lamp operating devices or microprocessors are known which work according to the DALI standard and comprise an additional interface via which it is possible to update or generally change the firmware. For example, the firm Motorola sells a microcontroller under the name M68HC08 which comprises a separate programming interface in the form of an individual pin via which the firmware stored in a special memory can be overwritten.
This known solution therefore enables the firmware to be adapted to new requirements or further developments, although in the case of the prior art it is necessary to firstly deactivate the lamp operating device, in particular to disconnect it from the general power supply, before it can be connected to a corresponding programming device. This is complicated and, for example, in the case of lamp operating devices which are located at places which can only be accessed with difficulty, impractical. Thus, improvements in programming of the interface are desired.